“Don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth” Joel Embiid captured the attention of NBA enthusiasts yesterday after he got into a verbal brawl with Marcus Hayes. After all, the player didn’t take too kindly to the reporter’s coverage involving him. However, things escalated barely a few seconds after Embiid put out the remark since he took things on a physical level by shoving the reporter. The player continues to face repercussions from the action, as the NBA has launched an official investigation. Moreover, public opinion is polarizing with some choosing to stand beside him and others against him. However, for two prominent members of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, the Center’s actions certainly warrant an apology.

According to a report recently released by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, took Marcus Hayes to a meeting in the aftermath of the incident. The duo wasn’t alone during the same as team general manager Elton Brand also joined them. As highlighted by Gina Mizell, the two members did not use the meeting to criticize the reporter over the remarks made in his article. Rather, Hayes came out of the meeting to comment that Morey and Brand “apologized for the incident, expressed regret that it happened, and asked me for my version of events.” He also added, “They (Morey and Mizell) agreed that Embiid’s actions were unacceptable.”

Daryl Morey may have witnessed several PR crises prop up over the years. He may have personally handled a few of them himself. After all, he served as general manager of the Houston Rockets for 13 years before joining the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020. Regarding Joel Embiid, Morey involved himself in the Marcus Hayes incident, which is only the second one during the last couple few days! Earlier, a league investigation had revealed that Daryl Morey and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse “were inconsistent” about details regarding the Center’s health condition. Embiid’s absence in the season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks may have conflicted with the NBA’s strict player participation rules, causing the subsequent investigation.

The ‘inconsistency’ caused the 76ers to be fined $100,000. Reports later indicate that Nurse was ducking reporters’ questions about the fine. Instead, he stated “You are going to have to ask (team president of basketball operations) Daryl (Morey) or (chief communications officer) Dave (Sholler) or (general manager) Elton (Brand) or somebody else.” Not looking to make another issue out, Morey may have wanted to cool things down at least from his end regarding Marcus Hayes.

The 76ers management may have been anticipating a backlash from Joel Embiid. After all, Marcus Hayes’s report took a shot at Joel Embiid’s availability. Furthermore, in a now-removed paragraph from the column, he wrote, “Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er.”

Adding his critique, he later wrote, “Well, in order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite.” The Philadelphia 76ers first defended the criticism in his earlier remarks, and the team management may have thought that would have been the end of it. Not many could have anticipated the situation to become physical.

Daryl Morey made a call and took the opposite of Joel Embiid’s side by extending an apology to the reporter. However, this doesn’t mean that the 2023 MVP is still without any supporters.

Joel Embiid’s former teammate comes out in his defense over the Daryl Morey incident: “Truly heartless”

The time spent by Joel Embiid and Jason Richarson as teammates was brief. After all, the league retired the former player only a year after the Cameroonian was drafted. However, Richardson was present when a truck struck Embiid’s younger brother Arthur. Joel Embiid felt deeply affected by this. The grief, combined with an injury ailment, had even caused the player to question whether he should take his NBA journey beyond his rookie season. After seeing the star at his low point, Richardson revealed that he could relate to why even the mention of Arthur in the article would be enough to upset the Center.

“This article by Marcus Hayes about @joelembiid is truly heartless” wrote Richardson on X. “I was teammates with Joel when he received the devastating news about his brother’s passing and it’s shocking 2 see this tragedy exploited by Marcus to negatively sensationalize Joel’s reasons for not playing SMH!” A social media user later stated that violence should not be the answer. The former player replied by stating “some words you say can have consequences.”

The NBA world still awaits the decision from the league on what punishment Joel Embiid will receive. Meanwhile, with the incident still fresh in the minds of many, the conversation over the same will probably not die down anytime soon.